Writing can make good use of inspiration
Before, I mentioned that it is best not to rely on inspiration for writing. Although the truth in the book is generally accepted by everyone, many friends still tell me that if I can’t write without inspiration, what should I do?
In fact, if you are not a professional worker who makes a living by writing, making good use of inspiration is also a way to add color to your writing. Whether you come up with interesting ideas or some magical entry points, it will be helpful to organize your articles.
But you may want to ask, if you have inspiration, it is really like divine help to write, but the trouble is, what should you do if you don’t have inspiration? Is there any way to effectively collect inspiration?
Well, let me give you six of my own go-to methods. Here is a brief introduction for you:
The first method is to observe other manufacturers’ slogans or promotional copywriting
The famous Spanish artist and painter [Picasso] (https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pablo Picasso) once said: “Good artists copy, great artists steal.”
Of course, this is not meant to encourage plagiarism. However, it is always a good way to refer to and learn from other people’s practices. Of course, the premise is that you cannot directly plagiarize, but can use borrowed methods to develop ideas and innovate. Also, it is recommended that you not only refer to the practices of your peers, but also occasionally cross-industry to observe some works in different fields.
For example, if you work in the tourism industry, in addition to regularly observing the promotion strategies of some travel agencies, airlines, or amusement parks, you may also want to pay attention to the development trajectory of traditional industries, such as publishing, printing companies, or restaurants, and you may be able to find some connections.
The second method is to visit fast-paced lifestyle consumption areas.
The famous American popular science writer and media theorist [Steven Johnson](https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven Johnson) has written a book dedicated to innovation, “The Birth of Great Ideas” (https://www.books.com.tw/exep/a ssp.php/vista/products/CN11314329?utm_source=vista&utm_medium=ap-books&utm_content=recommend&utm_campaign=ap-202206)》. In his book, he introduced a concept called “adjacent possibility”. It means that a certain ability or element we need may have already been produced and matured, but it is being used in another field. The key lies in this future that already exists. Will it suddenly be discovered one day and make you think about it? And this is the moment when inspiration sprouts.
Therefore, I often encourage students to be curious about everything in the world. When you have free time, go shopping in some fast-paced lifestyle consumption areas, such as convenience stores or hypermarkets. These merchants are iterating and pulsating very quickly. If you observe carefully, I believe you can find many interesting new things. For example: Are there any new slogans posted in the store? What promotional items are placed on the checkout counter? In particular, the raging COVID-19 epidemic has had a great impact on businesses in the past two or three years. Have you noticed any changes or differences?
The third method is to make good use of keywords such as “how” and “now”
In addition to observing fashion trends and observing other people’s works, I often lead everyone to play “sentence-making” games in copywriting classes, and encourage students to think from other people’s perspective and start by solving the problems of the target audience. Especially because workplace writing is different from literary creation and often has many connections with interpersonal relationships. Therefore, if you can understand the preferences and problems of your target audience, you can naturally get inspiration from them.
A world-renowned leadership expert and author of the best-selling book Ask First, Why? Simon Simon Sinek told us that if we want to know how to capture consumers, we can use “operation” and “inspiration” to drive them. Therefore, when you have time, make good use of these time-sensitive and rendering keywords to come up with ideas!
The fourth method is to watch TV, listen to the radio and read newspapers and magazines
As we enter the 21st century, everyone lives online. We spend a lot of time on Facebook, LINE and YouTube every day, which has already exceeded traditional media such as radio and television. Although everyone is already accustomed to reading news on the Internet, television, newspapers and magazines are still one of the mainstream media and an important source of information.
More importantly, there is a lot of information that may not be published on the Internet, but may appear on television, radio, or newspapers and magazines, and it also deserves our attention. As for movies, they are not only affordable entertainment, but also an observatory of popular intelligence. Watching more movies or catching up on TV shows can also help inspire you!
To be honest, I also like watching dramas. Many students in my writing class once asked me puzzledly: “Teacher, you are so busy, how come you still have time to watch TV dramas?” In fact, watching TV dramas is not only a pastime to kill time or change my mood, but also an important medium for me to keep pace with the world. Especially now during the epidemic, the time spent at home has been extended, and it is easy for us to lose touch with the world. Watching dramas allows me to understand the pulse of current social culture, which is also very good! What’s even better is that while I’m watching the drama, my brain is constantly running. I start to think: If I were to write and direct this drama, how would I plan the plot and plot? How to write dialogue?
Think about it, isn’t this interesting?
The fifth method is to find other people to brainstorm together.
For many people, writing is impossible without inspiration. Sometimes we rack our brains and can’t come up with any good ideas. At this time, we might as well discuss it with colleagues and friends. There is a proverb: “Three cobblers are better than one Zhuge Liang.” Brainstorming through the power of a group is also a very good and effective way!
Here, I would like to recommend a brainstorming method to you, also known as the brainstorming method. This is a method designed to stimulate creativity and strengthen thinking. This method was pioneered by Alex Osborne, founder of the American BBDO advertising company, in 1938. It can be done by one person or a group of people. The participants gathered together and randomly put forward their opinions related to the discussion topic in their minds, and then recategorized everyone’s opinions.
Through this brainstorming method, not only can you help yourself avoid blind spots, but you can even get rid of barren thoughts and sort out your clues and opinions. It is also a good practice!
The sixth method is to take a break and change your mood.
Well, if you really can’t come up with a specific plan, don’t be too reluctant. Why not just rest and relax for a while? After all, we are humans, not year-round robots.
What do you like to do for fun? I like to walk and observe the people and the pulse of everyone’s lives while walking. I also found that many writers and musicians like to walk. For example, [Charles Dickens](https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/Charles Dickens) would walk for three hours every afternoon, and his observations in the process would be directly written into the story; and [Beethoven](https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/Ludwig van Beethoven)(Ludwig van Beethoven) Beethoven also hangs out for a while after lunch, always carrying pen and paper with him to jot down ideas when they strike.
I believe that through the above six methods, it should help you collect inspiration in a more organized way. To put it simply, the process of collecting inspiration might as well start with observing the things around you in life. As long as you remain full of curiosity and capture your various reactions to the world, you will naturally be able to grasp every moment of inspiration. Of course, in the end, please don’t forget to think and act!
After all, if you want to compose a wonderful chapter that jumps out on the page, you still need to weave the boundless inspiration into an article with perspective and context!
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